


Barnes & Noble: Gossip Central

by GeckoGirl89



Category: Hawaii Five-0 (2010)
Genre: Accidental Love Confessions, Based on a Tumblr Post, Bookstores, Embarrassment, First Kiss, Fluff, Getting Together, Humor, Light Angst, M/M, Shopping
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-04
Updated: 2017-01-04
Packaged: 2018-09-14 14:59:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,670
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9187265
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GeckoGirl89/pseuds/GeckoGirl89
Summary: Danny froze a few inches away from Steve, clutching a copy of the book he had been planning to put in their shopping basket. Steve’s last words played over and over in a loop in Danny’s mind.Who wouldn’t want to be with you?





	

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by this prompt on tumblr, which was honestly too perfect for McDanno: http://theshipperssoul.tumblr.com/post/144128913769/person-a-b-are-very-close-friends-and-sometimes
> 
> This fic is set between the current season and season 8.

Steve had volunteered to help Danny shop for his kids' school supplies this year. Rachel had asked Danny to do it since she was helping take care of her mother in England after she had a heart attack. With Charlie entering first grade and Grace entering her sophomore year of high school, Danny had many things to buy this year.

After going to a couple of office supply stores, they went to Barnes & Noble to buy the books indicated on Grace’s reading list for English class. Steve was leaning over and memorizing the list that Danny held between them. Steve was so focused on the list that he didn’t notice how Danny was blushing at the hand he had lightly placed on Danny’s shoulder. Or at least Danny hoped.

A bookstore employee with the nametag “Brenda” walked over to the pair. “Can I help you with anything?” she asked.

Danny showed the paper he was holding to the employee. “We have a supply list for books in the upcoming year.”

Brenda smiled. “Most of these should be in the ‘Back to School’ section over here.” The woman gestured to a display with her hand and walked towards it. Steve and Danny followed her. Danny glanced over the display and noted that several of the required books were on the table.

Brenda's smile turned a little less formal. “I hope this helped you two gentlemen.”

“It did, thanks,” Danny said. Steve nodded in acknowledgment.

Brenda let out a wistful sigh. “You know, it’s really nice to see couples shopping for their kid’s school supplies. It’s usually just one parent, but it’s really good to see both parents involved.”

Danny held his mouth open for a few seconds, uncertain how to reply. This hadn’t been the first time people had assumed that he and Steve were a couple. The duo had been subjected to a lot of jokes about “bickering like an old married couple” from random suspects and witnesses in their cases and had even heard ribbing from their teammates about their relationship. Danny usually spoke to his parents or sisters on the phone, but he swore that he could hear their smirks when he mentioned Steve again. Hell, at one point, even Danny had said that their “marriage” had become predictable.

The more unsettling events had involved times when people sincerely believed they were together. One time, they had simply walked into a room, and a college girl assumed that they were her friend Kelly’s dads. Then, there had been Ruth on that stakeout, who had heard that they were “partners” and assured them that she fully supported gay marriage. Those events honestly made Danny feel a little insecure. He wondered if he was giving out some kind of obvious vibe of attraction to Steve and that people thought they were together because of the inadvertent signals Danny had been showing.

Steve had reacted with good humor to the Ruth situation, and he had been offended with the college girl, but only because she thought he was old enough to be Kelly’s father. Danny didn’t know what to make of Steve’s reactions to people thinking they were a couple. He glanced over to Steve, curious how he would react now, especially since Brenda had just implied that Steve was one of Grace’s parents.

Steve smiled lightly. “Thanks.” So, apparently, he was just going to let Brenda think they were a couple? Danny had never seen Steve simply go along with people’s assumptions before, and he was shocked.

Brenda walked away, and Steve began picking up a few of the books on the list. Danny spotted one on the far side of the table and moved towards it. “So, uh, you’re just gonna let Brenda think we’re together?”

Danny glanced surreptitiously at Steve, who shrugged at his question. “It would just make things more awkward if I tried to explain.”

Steve’s reason made enough sense to Danny. “Yeah, I guess so.”

Steve put a book in their small shopping basket. “Besides, it’s not like I’m offended or anything. I mean, who wouldn’t want to be with you?”

Danny froze a few inches away from Steve, clutching a copy of the book he had been planning to put in their shopping basket. Steve’s last words played over and over in a loop in Danny’s mind.

_Who wouldn’t want to be with you?_

Steve stiffened and slowly turned his head towards Danny. His gaze was frightened, like a hunted animal with a gun pointed directly at its face.

Danny began babbling. “Well, let’s see. There’s Rachel, Gabby, Melissa, once I screwed that one up. And most guys, except for you, apparently.” Danny let out a weak, pathetic chuckle.

Steve was confused. At least he didn’t look like he was facing a firing squad anymore. “What?”

“That’s, uh, that’s who wouldn’t want to be with me.”

Steve’s next words were soft, but full of meaning. “They’re wrong, you know.”

Danny grinned, finally putting his book in the shopping basket. He put a hand over Steve’s shoulder. “Babe, that’s sweet, but I think your perspective is a little skewed.” He started to laugh, but he stopped when he saw the pained look on Steve’s face.

“Danno, I appreciate that you’re being nice about this, but could you not, with the touching and the ‘babe.’” Steve sighed and put down the basket on the edge of the table. “It's just a little too much for me right now.”

Danny turned Steve around to face him. Steve was frowning and refused to meet his eyes.

Danny took a deep breath to prepare for his next statement. “What if I’m not just being nice?”

Steve made some kind of weird gulping noise in the back of his throat and finally met Danny’s gaze. His expression was dominated by grief, but hope was starting to flash in his eyes.

Danny shook his head. “Maybe this will help you understand.” He positioned his hands at the back of Steve’s neck and started to lean in. Steve’s eyes widened before he beamed and leaned the rest of the way in. For a few blissful seconds, the world narrowed down to just the two of them. Somehow, Steve ended up moving them so that Danny was backed against the little display table. Danny was grateful for the support because his knees were starting to feel like jello. He was about to melt into a puddle at any second.

A throat was cleared behind them, and Steve pulled away from the kiss. Danny pouted, and then he looked behind Steve to see who had interrupted them and face palmed. It was Mrs. Yang, the head of the PTA at Grace’s school, along with the store employee, Brenda, who had helped them earlier.

Danny peeked between his fingers to see Mrs. Yang trying to conceal her amusement with a stern glare. Brenda showed much less restraint. She was plainly smirking at Steve and Danny.

“Detective Williams, some of us are attempting to shop for the next school year. I have no issues with you kissing your boyfriend, but this is hardly the appropriate time or place.”

“You know her?” Steve asked. 

Danny dragged his hand down his face slowly before he attempted to put on a pleasant smile for Mrs. Yang and turned to Steve. “Right, well we’re done getting books, aren’t we? Come on Steve, let’s go.” He quickly snagged the list they had left on the table and grabbed Steve’s hand. Steve picked up the shopping basket and let himself be dragged toward the classic literature section.

“Who was that?” Steve whispered once they were gone.

“Mrs. Yang, the head of the PTA at Grace’s school.”

Steve hummed thoughtfully. “So, I guess she knows a lot of people?”

“And she has a reputation as a gossip. I wouldn’t be surprised if she sent out an email about this to the entire PTA mailing list.” Danny was only exaggerating a little. She probably wouldn’t send out an email, but he was sure all of the parents and most of the teachers would know about him and Steve within a couple of weeks.

Steve chuckled. “You, uh, you don’t seem to mind the idea of everyone knowing about us.”

Danny shrugged. “I’ll just make everyone jealous. I mean, who wouldn’t want to be with you?”

Steve kissed Danny on the temple, and then he looked over at the list Danny was holding in his right hand. “You know, there are eight books on this list, and we only managed to pick up five.”

Danny pointed to an item on the list. “I remember seeing that one at the table, but the last two weren’t there. They’re around here, probably.”

“You want to get those last two first? That way Mrs. Yang can shop without being annoyed with us.”

Danny nodded. “Yeah, and if she’s still there, we can get Grace a planner or something.” Danny didn’t mind people knowing about him and Steve, but he still felt a little embarrassed at being caught making out with him at a bookstore. He didn’t really want to run into Mrs. Yang again today, if he could avoid it.

Steve laughed and started walking off towards the area that housed the authors who had last names near the beginning of the alphabet. He was probably going to get the Jane Austen novel. “Whatever you say, Danno.”

Danny smiled over at Steve, biting his lower lip as he let his gaze travel over his partner. He sighed and went off to look for the other book they needed to get. He could ogle Steve later, when it was the “appropriate time and place.” He could kiss Steve later, too. The thought put a stupid grin on his face. He hadn’t imagined a mundane shopping trip ending this way, but Danny was incredibly grateful and giddy at the unexpected gift the universe had dropped into his lap today. Danny was looking forward to the end of this shopping excursion.

**Author's Note:**

> Crossposted at my tumblr here: http://geckogirl89.tumblr.com/post/155366490635/barnes-noble-gossip-central


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